Mike Nappa

Mike Nappa:

WHO MOVED MY CHURCH?

by

Chad Bonham

If Who Moved My Church? stirs a bit of controversy within the Church community, don't blame author Mike Nappa. Despite his tendencies to stir the pot from time to time, it's never been his intention to make people angry; pensive perhaps; thoughtful definitely; but never angry. Inspired by the mainstream book Who Moved My Cheese, Nappa's book Who Moved My Church? was a logical approach to tackle the tricky issue of Christianity and popular culture.

"I started wondering if I could somehow express what I was thinking and seeing in my society in a similar way using a parable," Nappa says. "The story began to unfold in my mind, so much so that it actually kept me awake several nights in a row. Finally, I was so exhausted from lack of sleep that I decided I had to write it down or else I'd never get any rest!"

Nappa admits that Who Moved My Church? isn't the most comfortable book to read. Its stark portrayal of the different ways the Church deals with the tough issues that modern society tosses its way is challenging, to say the least.

"My biggest hope is that this book will be a spark to help us Christians think through – and discuss – the way we interact with our culture," Nappa says. "I simply want to hold up a mirror on Christians interacting with society and let that speak for itself."

Nappa is the founding president of FamilyFans Communications, Inc., a Christian media company that publishes FamilyFans.com ("The Free Webzine for Families").

Q: Who are your favorite authors?

MN: I have several favorites. Antoine de Saint-Exupery wrote my favorite book of all time, The Little Prince, so I guess he'd be at the top of my list. I also admire greatly CS Lewis and his ability to move from fantasy to theology with such ease and excellence. And I find myself fascinated by classic authors like the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Anderson. Among contemporary authors my favorites are John Duckworth (who wrote Joan 'n' the Whale) and—of course—my wife Amy Nappa, who manages to blend both creativity and practicality in a way that I can only aspire to do.

Q: Where would you spend your dream vacation? Why?

MN: Ah, this one's easy. As far as my family is concerned, heaven is going to be pretty close to Disney World, so our dream vacation would be about a month in a posh hotel on the Disney World resort property. Of course, we'd also need an unlimited souvenir budget, front-of-the-line privileges, and about 100 of our closest friends and family members along to fulfill the "dream" part of that dream vacation.

Q: What would people be surprised to learn about you?

MN: I am actually an Arab-American. My great-grandfather emigrated to the USA from Lebanon in the early 1900s. He earned his citizenship by fighting for America in World War I. Both sets of my grandparents also came to America from Lebanon, and my parents met and married here, so while I'm 100% American (in both language and culture), I am also full-blooded Lebanese in my heritage. My mother was the first Christian in my family. Before her, my family followed a loose Muslim tradition. Now, largely because of her influence, the majority of my family is Christian and I was actually raised in a Christian home.

Q: If you were exiled to an island and could take four books, what books, other than the Bible, would you take?

MN: The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery; The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by CS Lewis; Calvin & Hobbes: The Days Are Just Packed by Bill Watterson; and the complete Grimm's Fairy Tales by the Brother's Grimm (if I could squeeze in a fifth book, it'd be The Greatest Superman Stories Ever Told by various authors!)

Q: What is your favorite memory from childhood?

MN: As a boy, I would often visit my grandparents in the nearby Oklahoma town where they lived. My grandfather was an early riser, and although I preferred to sleep in, at my grandfather's house I always tried to get up with Jidee (which is the Arabic word for "grandfather"). If I managed to get up in time, Jidee would take me along with him and we'd go out for breakfast with several of his cronies. Jidee made me feel special during those times, and treated me like a man among his friends, introducing me to each of them and including me in the jokes and conversation – and letting me order whatever I wanted from the menu (a big deal for a poor kid like me!). Those breakfasts always ended too soon.

Q: What advice would you give an aspiring author?

MN (Laughing): Find another career! This one is too hard and too often disappointing. But, if that doesn't discourage you, then my only advice is "write from the heart" and get busy!

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